Florida lawmakers have formally apologized to hundreds of individuals who suffered physical or sexual abuse at two state-run reform schools in the state. The survivors, many of whom endured horrors more than 50 years ago, are now in line to receive restitution from the state.
One of the schools, the Dozier School for Boys, housed up to 500 boys during the 1960s, most of whom were there for minor offenses like petty theft or truancy. Orphaned and abandoned children were also sent to the school, which operated for over a century.
In recent years, numerous men have come forward with accounts of brutal beatings, sexual assaults, and even deaths at the Dozier School. Shockingly, nearly 100 boys died at the school between 1900 and 1973, with some succumbing to gunshot wounds or blunt force trauma. Some bodies were returned home, while others were buried in unmarked graves that were only recently discovered.
Before a recent deadline, over 800 applications for restitution were submitted by individuals who suffered abuse at the Dozier School and its sister school in Okeechobee, Florida. The state allocated $20 million to be divided among the surviving victims of the schools.
One survivor, Bryant Middleton, shared his harrowing experience of being beaten multiple times for minor infractions during his time at Dozier. Middleton expressed that the abuse he endured at the school was worse than his combat experience in Vietnam.
Allegations of abuse have plagued the Dozier School since its inception, with reports of children being chained to walls in irons. The school's deplorable conditions were highlighted during a visit by then-Governor Claude Kirk in 1968.
Following state and federal investigations, as well as media reports documenting the abuses, Florida officials closed the Dozier School in 2011.
As survivors await restitution, their resilience is being recognized in the film 'Nickel Boys', based on Colson Whitehead's novel inspired by the Dozier School. Whitehead aims to raise awareness and ensure that the victims and their stories are not forgotten.
